Sheet and plate handling tool



.F. 31, 1967 c. F. JQHNSON SHEET AND PLATE HANDLING 'TOOL Filed April; 2, 1965 INVENTOR CHARLES E JOHNSON ATToRNEfvs United States Patent 3,301,585 SHEET AND PLATE HANDLING TOOL Charles F. Johnson, 1129 W. Milwaukee, Detroit, Mich. 48202 Filed Apr. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 444,999

6 Claims. (Cl. 294-16) This invention relates to work-gripping tools and, in particular, to tools for handling sheet or plate material.

Hitherto, the handling of sheet or plate materials, such as steel sheets in stacks, for the purpose of withdrawing a single 'sheet from "the stack, has been accompanied by great difficulty and with occasional injury to the operator. Such operators have'ordinarily used canvas gloves in order to protect their hands, but these gloves are frequently cut by the jagged edges of the sheets and such cuts frequently penetrate the hands of the workman. Moreover, it' also involves a great expense due to the frequent changes of gloves to replace those worn out. The present invention eliminates the need for such gloves by providing a tool which-quickly and easily selects, grips and withdraws sheet or plate material from a stack thereof with a powerful grip yet without injury'to the operator.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a sheet or plate handling tool which quickly and easily is inserted in a stack of sheets or plates to select and withdraw a single plate from the stack yet which exerts a powerful grip upon the sheet or plate in such a manner that the greater the weight of the sheet or plate or the greater the resistance to its withdrawal, the more powerful is the grip exerted by the device.

Another object is to provide a sheet or plate-handling tool of the foregoing character which increases the leverage and consequently the grip upon the sheet or plate as the thickness of the sheet or plate is increased, so that a more powerful leverage is exerted upon thick sheets or plates than upon thin ones.

Another object is to provide a sheet or plate handling tool of the foregoing character having gripping jaws with stack-penetrating teeth on one or both jaws, thereby facilitating the insertion of the jaws and the gripping of a particular sheet or plate which it is desired to withdraw from the stack.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the sheet or platehandling tool of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the tool viewed from the right in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3 in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical section through a modification of the invention employing renewable aws.

Referring to the drawing in detail, FIGURES 1 and 2 show a sheet or plate handling tool, generally designated 10, consisting of roughly Z-shaped outer double and inner single scissors levers 14 and 12 respectively disposed parallel to one another and having forward arms disposed in close proximity to one another with tapered forward ends and with the single lever 12 extending between the parallel opposite sides 15 of the double lever 14, both being drilled in alignment to receive a pivot bolt 16 and carrying on their forward ends serrated jaws 18 and 20 respectively. The jaw 20 has a flat serrated gripping surface 22, whereas the jaw 18 has a curved or arcuate serrated surface 23 which is convex toward the flat serrated gripping surface 22 and curves rearwardly away therefrom. By this arrangement a narrowv sheet or plate is gripped near the outer ends or tips of the jaws 18 and 20, whereas a thick plate or sheet is gripped nearer the pivot bolt 16,- hence with a more powerful leverage exerted and consequently a more powerful grip is obtained.

Welded or otherwise secured rigidly to the ends of the levers 12 and 14 respectively so as to move unitarily therewith are open-centered approximately rectangular handles 24 and 26 of unequal lengths provided with cross members 28 and 30 respectively interconnecting the outer ends of .their side portions 32 and 34 respectively. The shorter handle 26 on the outer lever 14 causes its cross member 30 to come to rest near the gives a natural gripping position for the palm and fingers of one hand. The jaws 18 and 20 have tapered forward ends terminating in substantially sharp forward edges and have single inter-sheet penetration teeth 36 and 38 at one corner of their forward ends to facilitate insertion of the jaws 18 and 20 between the adjacent sheets of a stack of sheets containing the sheet to be with: drawn. When the tool is not in use and at rest,-a torsion spring 40 with its loops surrounding the pivot bolt'36 and its opposite ends connected respectively to holes in the rearward arms of the levers 12 and 14, urges the rearward arms of the levers 12 and 14 apart and consequently urges the forward arms thereof and their respective jaws 18 and 20 away from one another into their open position.

In the operation of the tool 10, when the operator grasps the cross members 28 and 30 in one hand in the manner described above, and squeezes them between his palms and fingers, he moves the handles 24 and 26 laterally toward one another, closing the gap between the jaws 18 and 20 until they will just barely go over the sheet to be grasped, with the teeth 36 and 38 pushing away the adjacent sheet or sheets with a wedging apart action. The operator then squeezes fully upon the cross members 30 and 28 to completely close the jaws 18 and 20 upon the opposite sides of the sheet or plate and pulls upon it to withdraw it. The cross member 30 on the shorter handle 26 meanwhile moves laterally toward the side portions 32 of the longer handle 24, thereby exerting a kind of toggle action on the sheet which requires only the pressure of the finger to hold the sheet while the weight of it is carried by the arms and shoulder muscles.

For purposes of simplicity of illustration, the jaws 18 and 20 of the sheet or plate handling tool 10 of FIG- URES 1 to 3 inclusive have been shown as permanently attached to their respective levers 12 and 14. In actual practice, however, these jaws undergo wear during protracted use, particularly as regards the sharpness of the serrations with which their surfaces 22 and 23 are provided. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the jaws 18 and 20 in the commercial form of the invention will be made removable and therefore replaceable as shown in FIGURE 4, wherein removable jaws 18A and 20A are shown as bolted at 42 to their respective levers 12 and 14.

What I claim is:

1. A sheet or plate gripping tool, comprising a pair of scissors levers disposed in crossing relationship intermediate their forward and rearward ends and having forward arms disposed in close proximity to one another in the closed position thereof and terminating in tapered forward ends,

a pivot element pivotally interconnecting said levers at their crossing location,

a pair of gripping jaws mounted on the forward ends of said levers and having substantially sharp forward edges, resilient means engaging said levers and urging said jaws away from one another into the open position thereof, and an open-centered handle mounted rigidly on the rearward end of each lever and movable unitarily therewith,

each handle having opposite side portions connected at their forward ends to its respective lever and a cross portion interconnecting the rearward ends of said side portions,

said cross portions being disposed transversely to their respective levers, the cross portion of one handle being disposed nearer said pivot element than the cross portion of the other handle and movable into close proximity to the side porand with substantially parallel rearward arms disposed arcuately-configured gripping surface disposed close to tions of said other handle in longitudinally-spaced relationship to the cross portion of said other handle.

2. A sheet or plate gripping tool, according to claim 1, wherein said handles converge rearwardly toward one another in the closed position of said levers and wherein the cross portion of the handle disposed nearer the pivot element than the cross portion of the other handle is separated from said cross portion of said other handle by a space equal at least to the diameter of one of said cross portions.

3. A sheet or plate gripping tool, according to claim 1, wherein said levers are approximately Z-shaped with substantially parallel forward arms carrying said jaws the forward end of said substantially flat gripping surface of said one jaw and has said arcuately-configured gripping surface curved rearwardly away from said substantially flat gripping surface.

6. A sheet or plate gripping tool, according to claim 1, wherein said jawshave forwardly-projecting inter-sheet penetration teeth secured to their respective forward ends.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 966,197 8/1910 Green 294-118 X 2,297,291 9/1942 Danielson 294-118 2,892,655 6/1959 Bower 294-118 X 3,169,034 2/1965 Epstein 294118 X GERALD FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. G. F. ABRAHAM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SHEET OR PLATE GRIPPING TOOL, COMPRISING A PAIR OF SCISSORS LEVERS DISPOSED IN CROSSING RELATIONSHIP INTERMEDIATE THEIR FORWARD AND REARWARD ENDS AND HAVING FORWARD ARMS DISPOSED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO ONE ANOTHER IN THE CLOSED POSITION THEREOF AND TERMINATING IN TAPERED FORWARD ENDS, A PIVOT ELEMENT PIVOTALLY INTERCONNECTING SAID LEVERS AT THEIR CROSSING LOCATION, A PAIR OF GRIPPING JAWS MOUNTED ON THE FORWARD ENDS OF SAID LEVERS AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY SHARP FORWARD EDGES, RESILIENT MEANS ENGAGING SAID LEVERS AND URGING SAID JAWS AWAY FROM ONE ANOTHER INTO THE OPEN POSITION THEREOF, AND AN OPEN-CENTERED HANDLE MOUNTED RIGIDLY ON THE REARWARD END OF EACH LEVER AND MOVABLE UNITARILY THEREWITH, EACH HANDLE HAVING OPPOSITE SIDE PORTIONS CONNECTED AT THEIR FORWARD ENDS TO ITS RESPECTIVE LEVER AND A CROSS PORTION INTERCONNECTING THE REARWARD ENDS OF SAID SIDE PORTIONS, SAID CROSS PORTIONS BEING DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY TO THEIR RESPECTIVE LEVERS, THE CROSS PORTION OF ONE HANDLE BEING DISPOSED NEARER SAID PIVOT ELEMENT THAN THE CROSS PORTION OF THE OTHER HANDLE AND MOVABLE INTO CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE SIDE PORTIONS OF SAID OTHER HANDLE IN LONGITUDINALLY-SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE CROSS PORTION OF SAID OTHER HANDLE. 